Buffalo Bills: Injury update heading into offseason
Sunday’s loss in Jacksonville put an end to the 2017 season for the Buffalo Bills and now fans will anxiously wait to see what changes are made ahead of the 2018 season. Before those changes begin, Bills’ coach Sean McDermott addressed some of the current injuries on the team.
The final drive of Sunday’s game in Jacksonville saw Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, go down with what appeared to be a head injury. Taylor was of course replaced by Nate Peterman, who wasn’t able to lead the Bills to a touchdown in the closing seconds. The Bills also lost a handful of other players during Sunday’s game, some returned to the field and some didn’t.
Sunday’s injuries aside, two of the biggest injuries that plagued the Bills throughout the season were that of WR Kelvin Benjamin and LT Cordy Glenn.
Benjamin and Glenn, on paper, should be the anchors of two of the Bills’ offensive units. Benjamin was brought over in a trade from the Carolina Panthers to anchor the WR unit while Glenn was expected to be a solidifying force on the offensive line this season while protecting Taylor’s blind side. Both Benjamin and Glenn played this season but neither was at 100 percent for Buffalo and neither is entering the offseason at 100 percent.
Glenn was banged up when the season began as he was dealing with a foot/ankle issue. That injury only allowed Glenn to start five games in 2017, while only playing is six games total. Benjamin on the other hand was never able to become what Buffalo wanted him to be after being slowed down by knee injury in Week 11. It has been said that Benjamin will be having meniscus surgery this offseason.
During his closing press conference, McDermott addressed the injury issues with both Glenn and Benjamin.
Kelvin Benjamin
"I’d be lying if I said [Benjamin] was himself [and] he was 100%. He wasn’t. This will be a big offseason for Kelvin. Brandon and I both know, and I think people around the league know, when healthy, what Kelvin’s capable of doing. Unfortunately, he wasn’t healthy; in particular, after that Chargers game – I think after that first drive, first quarter, somewhere in there. But I’ll tell you what, the young man toughed it out, and I think there was some leadership shown by him doing that. This will be a big offseason for Kelvin. I know he’s anxious to get started and we’re anxious to see him get healthy and come back ready to go."
Cordy Glenn
"I don’t really think there’s any air to clear other than the fact that he’s had a successful operation procedure and he’s currently rehabbing and getting himself ready for a great offseason. I think there’s a lot of positive energy around Cordy. I know more than anything [that] he wanted to be out there down the stretch here with his teammates."
The Bills will also have another big issue to deal with during the offseason and that is Tyrod Taylor. Taylor will be ready to go when the 2018 season begins (assuming he doesn’t injure himself during the offseason) but that doesn’t mean that he will be on the team when 2018 begins.
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There is a belief around many that Taylor will not be with Buffalo come the start of 2018. If that is the case, the Bills will need to draft a QB, sign one or trade for one before the start of the season. Of course, they could also roll the dice with Peterman, but I am not sure how much that would inspire Bills Mafia heading into the new season.